The 10 Best Artificer Cantrips in 5E | Artificer Cantrips 5E Guide

The Artificer is an interesting spellcasting class in the fact that instead of using magic to cast their spells, they use objects that have been mechanically imbued with a spell’s power. When the object is used, the spell is cast. So with that in mind, how about we take a look at the top 10 Cantrips available to the Artificer class? Excellent! Let’s dive into our Artificer Cantrips 5E Rankings!

10. Thunderclap

• School: Evocation
• Casting Time: 1 action
• Range: 5 feet
• Components: Somatic
• Duration: Instantaneous

Number Ten in our Top Ten Artificer Cantrips list is Thunderclap. All of the characters in your range must make a successful Constitution Saving Throw. If they fail, they will take 1d6 thunder damage. The damage Thunderclap can deal will increase at level five (2d6), eleven (3d6) and seventeen (4d6).

The damage is bad, and it requires you to be in the thick of things. We’re not too impressed with this, but it has a niche with Armorer or Battle Smith.

9. Magic Stone

• School: Transmutation
• Casting Time: 1 bonus action
• Range: Touch
• Components: Verbal, Somatic
• Duration: 1 minute

Your character imbues magic into three pebbles that can be thrown or hurled with a sling. When you or another character uses one of these pebbles for an attack, the attack will be a Ranged Spell Attack that has a range of 60 feet. If another character uses these pebbles for an attack, they will be using your Spellcasting Ability Modifier for the attack roll as opposed to their own. If the pebbles successfully hit a target, the pebble will deal 1d6 bludgeoning damage. No matter what the result is, once a pebble is used for an attack, the spell will end in that pebble.

Despite sacrificing your new rock friend, this isn’t exactly the most damaging option. It at least is more damage than throwing a non-enchanted pebble, and you can hand out rocks to the Barbarian or other melee-focused class. Still, not exactly top-tier.

PLEASE NOTE: This spell is available in the Xanathar’s Guide to Everything book.

8. Frostbite

• School: Evocation
• Casting Time: 1 action
• Range: 60 Feet
• Components: Verbal, Somatic
• Duration: Instantaneous

One target of your choice needs to makes a Constitution Saving Throw. If they are unsuccessful in beating your Spell Save DC, they will take 1d6 cold damage and they will have a disadvantage the next time they attempt to make an attack with a weapon. The damage Frostbite can deal will increase at level five (2d6), eleven (3d6) and seventeen (4d6).

Now we’re getting to decent magic! Frostbite deals bad damage, but it has defensive utility. Disadvantage on weapon attacks isn’t exactly perfect… But, it can save a ton of health every now and then.

7. Guidance

• School: Divination
• Casting Time: 1 action
• Range: Touch
• Components: Verbal, Somatic
• Duration: Concentration, up to 1 minute

A willing character that you touch will get to roll 1d4 when they are making an ability check. The result of this roll will be added to the result that you have rolled when you made the check. This character can choose to make the roll before or after they make the ability check, which then causes the spell to end. Sometimes, there will be a situation where you really need an ability check to succeed. Guidance is there to help lead your team members to the success that they need.

6. Spare the Dying

• School: Necromancy
• Casting Time: 1 action
• Range: Touch
• Components: Verbal, Somatic
• Duration: Instantaneous

With Spare the Dying, You stabilize a living character that has zero hit points by touching them with the item that can cast this spell. When you stabilize a character, you prevent it from having to make saving throws when it is knocked unconscious. To me, this is an extremely useful cantrip, as it will help to keep your team together as well as prevent your friend from having to create a brand new character for the next session. These characters are like people to us!

5. Fire Bolt

• School: Evocation
• Casting Time: One action
• Range: 120 feet
• Components: Verbal, Somatic
• Duration: Instantaneous

You make a Ranged Spell Attack against one opposing target. If you are successful in making the hit, your target will take 1d10 fire damage and any flammable object that is caught in the crossfire will ignite. The damage Fire Bolt can deal will increase at level five (2d10), eleven (3d10) and seventeen (4d10).

Excellent range, good damage, and scales well. This is the perfect cantrip for your standard Artificer! You should consider this as a damage option for any Artificer.

4. Shocking Grasp

• School: Evocation
• Casting Time: One action
• Range: Touch
• Components: Verbal, Somatic
• Duration: Instantaneous

With the touch of whatever you are using, your character makes a Melee Spell Attack against your target. If your target is wearing any armor made of metal, you will get an advantage when making this roll. If you succeed, the target takes 1d8 lightning damage, and they cannot use any reaction abilities until the start of their next turn. The damage Shocking Grasp can deal will increase at level five (2d8), eleven (3d8) and seventeen (4d8).

While the damage and range isn’t as good as Fire Bolt, Shocking Grasp decimates a ton of fights against armored opponents. The extra defensive utility of locking a Reaction is handy as well, and can make risky plays less deadly.

3. Light

• School: Evocation
• Casting Time: One Action
• Range: Touch
• Components: Verbal, Somatic
• Duration: One hour

With Light, An object that you touch will brighten up a twenty-foot radius, and dim an additional twenty-foot radius beyond that. You dictate the color of the light when the spell resolves. That object you touch cannot be longer than ten feet. If you cover the object with something opaque, you will completely diminish the light until you uncover it. Should you attempt to light an object that is on an aggressive character, that character will get a chance to make a Dexterity Check. If they succeed in making the check, the object will not light up. The spell ends if you cast this spell again while it is active.

Great utility. With a creative mind, it can even spook people or solve problems! At worst, your frontline won’t need to carry a torch anymore.

2. Mage Hand

• School: Conjuration
• Casting Time: 1 action
• Range: 30 feet
• Components: Verbal, Somatic
• Duration: 1 minute

Your character creates a spectral, floating hand that can perform one of the following actions:

This spectral hand can only interact with items that are at most thirty feet away from your character. The hand cannot carry an item that weighs more than ten pounds, and it cannot activate any magical items. You also cannot use the hand created with this spell to perform any sort of attack.

This is perhaps the best problem-solving cantrip in the game. With good range and impressive maneuverability, this little guy can legitimately help you escape from prison or hide a small birthday present. And who doesn’t want that!

1. Message

• School: Transmutation
• Casting Time: 1 action
• Range: 120 feet
• Components: Verbal, Somatic, Material (a short piece of copper wire)
• Duration: 1 round

Number one on our Top Ten Artificer Cantrip list is Message. With the point of a finger (or in the artificer’s case, an object), your target will be able to receive and reply to a message that only they can hear. This message can travel through light barriers; which means you will not be able to communicate through a magical silence, one foot of stone, one inch of metal, or anything that is of that thickness. No matter what situation you are in, you can never underestimate the power of communication. Without communication, the world will halt in making progress.

That wraps up our Artificer Cantrips 5E Guide. Any questions? Let us know! And don’t forget to check out our Artificer Spells 5E Rankings!